It’s full steam ahead for a fabulous food festival this Sunday (October 3) in the grounds of the Speech House Hotel, Coleford.

The Forest Showcase will celebrate 20 years since the start of the event and it will be wonderful to find some fun and feast in the Forest of Dean, albeit in a carefully managed environment to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

The Forest Showcase is an event that takes place far more than most food festivals … showcasing the best regional fresh produce from over 100 top local and artisan producers, gourmet burgers and hand-made scotch eggs. with award-winning preserves and chutneys, fine cheeses, farmhouse ciders and specialty wines, beers and lots of flavored gins !. This is a great opportunity to taste the best the region has to offer.

The Cooking Theater will provide you with a variety of cooking demonstrations from some of the region’s best chefs, designed to get you cooking with expert tips, advice and secrets.

The punk chef will be a part of it, his flamboyant hot pink mohawk hairstyle and on-screen personality have earned him legions of fans across the globe. He is described as “passionate, enthusiastic, exuberant and funny”. Punk Chef’s cooking demonstrations are unique as he expresses his passion for cooking through sign language and his demonstrations are translated into voiceover by a qualified interpreter.

Gareth Jenkins, Head Chef at Speech House Hotel, will showcase salt … how to use it in your everyday kitchen. Dispel some myths and misconceptions.

Yvette Farrell, Owner of the Forest of Dean’s First Award-Winning Cooking School, Will Demonstrate “The Middle East Meets the Forest of Dean”

Joe Parke will be making sourdough beer flatbreads with labneh and dukkah using freshly ground flour from the festival windmill and Two Tinkers beer.

Debbie from The Forest Deli will be doing an “Inspirational Taste” demo, featuring interesting ingredients from store cabinets to brighten up the midweek kitchen.

The lecture and tasting area is sponsored by The Forest Deli and will feature superb Chase Farm Ice Cream lectures. Simon from Forest Deli will talk about his favorite local beers, Wye Valley Meadery, and more, including cheese and gin.

This year, the hugely popular Cooking Classes for Parents and Kids will also be back with Healthy Eating Advisor and Cooking Teacher Glyn Owen of ‘Kids & Food’. This year, they’ll be making Cheeky Chico rolls, a spring roll, filled with carrots, celery, spring greens, and spring onions.

Seating is limited and you can reserve your spot for these classes on the Forest Showcase website.

After you’ve done your gourmet shopping, you can sit back and listen to some great live music while enjoying delicious hot food from some of the best street vendors and a refreshing drink (or two). There are some great gins, meads, beers, wines and ciders to try.

The event will offer activities for children with entertainment throughout the day from Jitterbug Circus. There are also many free culinary arts workshops. With a selection of arts and crafts on display as well as green ideas on composting, tips on growing vegetables and keeping bees, this is truly an event to visit, so come with the empty stomach and promise you’ll be packed when you leave.

The Forest Showcase will take place in the grounds of the Speech House hotel, on Sunday from 10 a.m.

Tickets can be purchased in advance to avoid queues on the website www.forestshowcase.org